The Plugged-In Manager

The Plugged-In Manager makes the case that being plugged-in—the ability to see choices across each of an organization's dimensions of people, technology, and organizational processes and then to mix them together into new and powerful organizational strategies, structures, and practices—may be the most important capability a manager can develop to succeed in the 21st century. Step by step Griffith shows you how to acquire this ability. Shows what it takes for business managers to succeed as technology and organizations become more and more complex Profiles exceptional leaders and organizations who are plugged-in, such as Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos.com Offers a fresh look at management issues Filled with compelling case studies and drawing on first-hand interviews, The Plugged-In Manager highlights this often neglected managerial capability and the costs of only focusing on one dimension rather than all three.

[...]... They publicly model good plugged-in management and give their colleagues the chance to build their own plugging-in skills through experience Richer outcomes (and meals) happen when more people are involved If you design work or a meal just for one, you are limited in what you can do Plugged-in managers know that the more they share and integrate their choices with others, the stronger the outcome The. .. help the first service rep as public interest grows than the less plugged-in respondents were, and the plugged-in managers were far less likely to add a computer monitoring tool or block access to social media sites The plugged-in managers were focused on working with their people to develop tools and rules that could evolve with the situation Less plugged-in respondents seemed to want to control the. .. effective In other words, you need to plug in to effectively work and manage in the twenty-first century 4  The Plugged-In Manager Plugging in means having the ability to mix together these three elements: • The knowledge, skills, and abilities of the people you are working with • The technology tools of work (everything from email to the size and type of tools a crew would use to build a fence) • The way... is organized around three practices that plugged-in managers consistently demonstrate: 8  The Plugged-In Manager 1 Plugged-in managers assess the situation and scan the environment for resources and pitfalls They “Stop-Look-Listen” in the same way we all do before crossing a busy street or starting to cook a meal for family or friends They stop to reflect on the situation: • Is this an incremental change... people, technology, and organizational processes and then to mix them together into new and powerful organizational strategies, structures, and practices What set the plugged-in managers apart in their responses to this scenario was their apparent comfort with letting the use of the technology and the organizational policies and procedures emerge.1 Plugged-in managers were more likely to write a new company... 18  The Plugged-In Manager partnered with other organizations, and in many cases run via virtual teams with limited physical interaction—but those are the organizations that still look the way I expect an organization to look There are other organizations that are further out on the fringe in terms of their organizational design, in that their work is done by freelancers so indirectly connected to the. .. summarizes its broad benefits to managers and organizations today It provides a road map for the rest of the book Chapter Two defines the landscape in terms of the many different ways that modern organizations are becoming increasingly complex in terms of the people, technology, and organizational process within them Part One: The Three Practices of Plugged-In Managers The heart of the book is organized around... and then ask you to share your recipes? 2 Plugged-in managers mix together solutions that balance the people, technology, and organizational process involved They know that there are many ways to make a great meal, but all involve appropriately blending and balancing available ingredients and dishes Plugging In to the Twenty-First Century  9 3 Plugged-in managers share their savvy and skills with others... backed up; whether syncing between the local PC and the cloud version is automatic; where the application is running (for example, whether you will be able to use the application when on a plane or at a vendor’s site where you may or may not have Internet access); whether you will need to worry about updates to the software (perhaps not, if the application is on the cloud); and much more The difficulty... it is the integration of these three practices that contains the real power On the one hand, these approaches enhance a vision of possibilities, revealing new horizons that may not even have been visible before On the other hand, these approaches help to develop a wisdom about capabilities and limitations that helps guide managers along pragmatic pathways to nurture potential and possibilities Managers . Praise for The Plugged-In Manager The Plugged-In Manager succinctly addresses the people, process, and organizational issues often overlooked in the rush. and then to mix them together into new and powerful organizational strategies, struc- tures, and practices. What set the plugged-in managers apart in their